Birth From Sleep
by Uniasus
Summary: With the begining of eternal sleep, a new life is born. An introduction to the new characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Uni's note**: Being the KH freak that I am, how can I not have my own version of the third one coming out? But looking at the released information and rumors floating around I failed to come up with a plot. T.T So instead, here is what I think the _setting_ on the new game will be. I most likly will be wrong, I have no shared brainwaves with the members of the KH creation team, but I rather liked the idea. Heads up, this will be short. It's not a true story after all.

Square Enix owns Kindgom Hearts, sadly. Otherwise I'ld have Sora in my room.

**Birth From Sleep**

AND the worlds were at peace. Or so thought Sora, as well as Kairi and Riku. Since returning to Destiny Islands neither of the young men could summon their weapons of light. Not that there was any need to in their home world, but their inability to call forth the Keyblades told them there was no use for warriors of the light. When the time came, they would know.

That did not stop Sora from being a hero. He was born to be one, with a rare ability to constantly put others before himself. The brunette was forever helping the locals with repairs, retrieving lost pets, rescuing balls from kicks into trees, and once in a while he teamed up with the local enforcement to deal with the petty crime that came once in a while. Kairi always welcomed him with a smile and a slight kiss on the cheek. It would always amuse the local children to see their role model turn pink.

Riku was a little more conservative. If it was possible, the boy's travels had deepened the bond between them and the sliver haired boy was sure to be near his brown-haired friend. While the children's affinity for Sora was equaled to their attraction to Riku, he was not as keen to spend an afternoon playing hide-in-go-seek with them. Which may have a good thing, for it was children that were Sora's undoing.

THAT summer a terrible storm hit. It was like the elderly spoke of that happened when they were young. Such stories entranced the young for they had never experienced something so fierce. Now the burden of such stories is on the shoulders of the survivors.

That day Sora and Kairi were helping out at the daycare program for the little ones and somehow they had tricked Riku into joining them. The day had been cloudy, but warm and a slight breeze carried the promise of rain for that evening. By the time the group of children and the chaperons had reached the park the wind had picked up considerably. A light gray sky was replaced by something that was just a shade lighter than Shadow heartless. Rain had started as well, earlier than expected. At first the island children went about collecting it on tongues but the sudden change from drizzle to hard drops that smarted turned laughs into cry of wanting to go back.

It was evident that storm was going to be huge, and the closest safe house was the library a couple of roads down. The adults running the daycare decided to head for it as quickly as the children could manage for the storm had come out of no where and could turn worse at any moment.

Kairi turned at a tap on her shoulder and looked into Sora's face.

"I'm going back!" He had to shout for her to hear him and was pointing toward the daycare, toward the water and ever increasing waves.

"No! It's too dangerous!" She shouted back, turning to look at Riku to support her. He was not paying attention; instead his concentration was on a small redhead who had fallen. Turning back to Sora she saw him shake his head no.

"Rin took Hiro back to grab Momo!" He was refereeing to one of the older girls and her brother. Hiro never went anywhere without his bear Momo. Rin had taken him back just before the weather had turned bad.

Kairi wanted to tell him to help her get the rest of the children to safety; that the siblings were sure to have gone to one of the neighbor's homes for shelter. She never got the chance for after his last statement he had turned around and ran back to where they had come. It was not long before she lost his back in the sheets of rain.

THE next morning the sky was a blue as Sora's eyes, another thing that set Kairi and Riku on edge. Their friend had not made it to the shelter that night and they could only hope that he had made it to another one. Some of the children had been united with their folks as they rushed to the library for shelter. On the other side of the coin, parents had arrived looking for their offspring to no avail. Among them were Rin and Hiro's parents. They relaxed when Kairi told them Sora had gone after their kids, but when morning came neither of the three of them had reached the shelter.

It was island procedure to meet in the center of the island after a large storm so people could reunite after a long night. It was also a time to take role and determine where to start looking for lost people based on their last known locations. Sora, Rin, and Hiro were absent from the gathering. Their parents' anxiety was growing, as was Kairi's. She was biting her fingernails, standing on tiptoe for a glance of his spiky hair. Riku came and put his arm around her shoulder and shook his head. Even with his height advantage he could not spot their friend.

Riku was the one who told the person in charge of missing persons that Sora was among them. The startledment was evident in his eyes and his name was bumped up to those to look for first when the teen mentioned he had gone to help two children.

When groups were set up to look for those lost, Riku urged Kairi to go home. The fact that Sora had not turned up worried him. It was not like his friend to not survive and so he feared the worst. The silver haired teen knew that she, like him, wanted to look for the worlds' savior. However, he wanted to spare her the depressing sight that was forming in his heart. She would not have it.

"No! I love him," she was close to tears, "and I know if I'm not out there working image after image of him…they'll keep getting worse. No, it will be better if I come with you." And so Riku gave in, not one to with hold something from emotional teenage girls.

SHAMBLES of a building replaced what once was the island daycare center. It was not built to hold up against such a storm. Few buildings were and the islands were littered with damaged homes and buildings. The wind had blown the sign reading "Luna's Daycare" down the street. On their way to the building someone had spotted it and carried it back to where it used to stand.

It was the only way the place was recognizable now. With the beach and sea at its back the structure had no chance. The back wall had collapsed and in quick succession had followed the other three, and then the second story. Debris from nearby islands was also evident in the heap; they had been snagged from the raging swells by broken timber.

Clean and search started at the back of the building. With so much time spent on the beach Luna had a room for the storage for sandy shoes, among other things. It was here that Hiro's bear was most likely stored and therefore the most likely place to find the missing. Nothing was uncovered and suggestions were made as to how to rid the ruins of its upper rumble to excavate the floor when a child's voice was heard from under the wreckage at the front of the building.

"Sora? Sora? I hear birds and people outside. Can we get now? Sora?"

Each "Sora" was a little louder and more insistent, but no reply was given. Riku, however rushed toward the voice.

"Rin? Can you hear me? What happened? Where are you?"

"Riku!" Her voice was in front of him and over to the right a little bit. "When the storm came Sora pushed the desk to the wall and told Hiro and me to get under it. Then he pushed it till the sides were touching the wall and we couldn't get out. Then their was a loud noise. Riku, its dark and scary. And we can't get out! Where's Sora?"

"Hang on Rin, I'll get you and your brother out."

By this time Kairi and the other men with them had joined the teen. He pointed to a pile of rubble.

"They're under there."

Riku sent the redhead to get water for the men before he helped clear the remains of a roof and second story. He was glad he did, for after a few minutes of digging they uncovered a hand. Effort doubled and what was exposed was not a pretty site. One of the roof beams had snapped and in its decent speared Sora through the back. He had most likely just pushed the desk against the wall and did not know what hit him, for he was slumped over on the desktop, eyes still open.

"Riku?" Rin's voice drifted out from under the desk. The part of the wall it was pushed against was still intact, since the blow had come from behind. The desk was undamaged and Sora's thinking had saved them.

At the girl's voice, the silence that had befallen the men was broken. Somehow, Riku managed to gather the courage to disrupt the scene and close his friend's eyes.

"We should cover him so the children and Kairi don't see him like this." The whisper was strained but audible to all. "I'm almost their Rin," he called louder to reassure the child.

After removing the instrument of death from Sora's back they placed him reverently on the ground and covered him with their discarded shirts. After a brief pause in the world, the men returned to the task of freeing Rin and Hiro.

Kairi had just returned from her errand when the men dispersed. When she looked at Riku, he turned his face away and looked down. No, it couldn't be. NO! She was going to dropped the water and rush to Sora's side when the children were released.

"Riku!" Rin and Hiro, clutching Momo tightly, had ambushed the teen with a big a hug as they could manage.

"Kairi!" They finished with him quite quickly and treated her to the same treatment.

No, she wouldn't cry. Not in front of the children Sora died protecting. Plus, they were most likely too young to understand why she would be crying.

"Come on," she said softly, "I'll take you to your Mom and Dad."

Setting her bucket of water down, the girl gave each of them a great hug and then took each of their hands. They proceeded to headquarters, the island center, where Kairi would turn in her report.

Riku watched her go, knowing it was not an easy task for her to leave without lifting up the shirts and crying into Sora's cold chest. He felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder with the calling of his name.

"Riku, we should get him to the docks." He nodded. Of course, the docks. Island burial rituals gave the bodies of loved ones to the sea. Tonight, he would say goodbye to his best friend.

He refused help in carrying Sora to the docks. He picked him up and carried himself. No one followed, which he was glad for. It meant so one saw tough guy Riku meld his tears with the blood on Sora's chest.

THAT night was a somber one. Three had been found dead, many injured, and some were still missing. More would be found the next day, and it would probably end similar to this one.

The ceremony started at dusk, the setting sun symbolizing the lost light of dear ones. The mayor read off names and gave a short eulogy for each person. Cali Demana. Meri Kitsuki. And Sora.

"Sora was an important member of the community. He did what he could and was a role model for out children. He will be sorely missed."

But there was so much more that could be said. Sora was the savior of every heart, a friend of many and to any. He was always able to help and did so. His friendship was fierce, his love strong enough to overcome darkness, his light a beacon for all to look to and follow. How could everyone who cared for Sora know he had passed on? Would the King pass on the message? Leon? Cloud? But it did not really matter for Kairi and Riku could feel the emptiness in their hearts, a disruption in the light that the lived for. Everyone connected to Sora felt his light extinguish, and spent the day in mourning.

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Please read and review! This one took a lot of planning and reviews always make me feel like it was worth it. Thanks for reading. 


	2. Chapter 2

WHEN life loses the soul, what happens to the left over heart and body? Many a wise chaser has pondered such a thing, but not Terra. No, he always wondered if the beings hearts and bodies become (for was accepted they existed) wondered what happened to the left over soul. He knew the soul quite well, for that was what he was. A chaser, a being that followed dreams and desires, lived life to the fullest. And without a body there was no reason to fear jumping from a cliff in an attempt to fly.

Terra took full advantage of the world around him, but today he was on duty. Most of the souls here lived among the oasis, but new arrivals materialized in the surrounding desert. No one knew why, it would make sense for new chasers to appear in the community. Perhaps over the years the waterhole had moved.

Walking into Retrievers headquarters the muscled brunette came across Aqua leaving. Being a night owl, it was common for her to search at night.

"Hey!" she waved as the two approached each other. "How's it going? Heading out?"

"Yeah. You heading home?"

"You kidding? I got a couple hours left in me. I'm gonna hit The Star for breakfast!"

Aqua waved good bye as she left the building, forcing the taller Terra to shake his head in confusion. He never understood the other blue-eyed Retriever. Sometimes he wondered if she ever slept at all.

"Hey Orilla," Terra said to the petite blonde working the counter.

"Oh! Hey Terra! Good morning."

"Same to you,"

"Hey! Wait!" Orilla's voice called him back to the desk. "Make sure you wear your armor today. Monte said he saw garls near dawn."

"Thanks for the warning," Terra headed to the locker room after giving the secretary a blown kiss.

There were a number of beasts that lived in the desert and Retrievers were all taught how to fight them off. New arrivals were often defenseless, and did not always awake directly after getting there. They needed protection as well as a guide.

After sliding into his armor and having Arbol, a co-worker, help him with the buckles, Terra took off. The day was bright and he almost wished a garl would attack him. He had not had action in a while. He had not found anyone in a week either, which was rare. Usually he picked one up every few days or so.

TWO hours later Terra happened on a garl sniffing something on the ground. Drawing his keyblade, he charged. The only thing out here that would interest a garl so would be a new chaser.

He cut up the garl's back, producing no damage do to the exoskeleton, but it had the desired effect to draw its attention away form the figure on the baked sand. Screaming the garl quickly retaliated and threw Terra down. The Retriever quickly raised himself into a crouch. When the garl turned around, it stretched to it full 7 foot height, snapping its jaws. The man wasted no time, for garls could spit acid for 10 feet, and leaped up, slicing the garl's insect head off. The monster collapsed, its antennae still quivering.

Quickly, Terra grabbed the boy and ran toward headquarters. Garls were most dangerous when dead, for their bodies exploded in acid. Right on queue, the body burst and a few stray drops landed on Terra's back. Not that he noticed, he was wearing armor for a reason.

The Retriever stopped when an "nhmm" sound came form the waking bundle in his arms. Now Terra took the time to see who exactly he had saved as he placed the arrival on the ground so he would get out the water.

It was a young boy, with messy blonde spikes protruding from his skull. He could have been older than eighteen with those skinny arms and legs; definitely not built for fighting, maybe running. By the time Terra had retrieved water from his pouch the boy had opened his eyes and the Retriever could see they were a bright sky blue, purer that Aqua's.

"Riku?" The name was whispered hoarsely. When arrivals came, they knew nothing but their own names. All memories from when the soul, heart, and body had been one were wiped out by death. And yet, Terra could tell this arrival was not informing him of his own name. No, he was calling Terra "Riku". Which meant, were the two of them close when they were whole? Did this young boy retain memories of that time? So many questions but too few answers.

"You feel like him but you don't look him, but…" they boy had talked again. Feel? Was the blonde talking about his soul signature? So they really did know each at one time! And now that he thought about it, ever since the name "Riku" had passed across the teen's lips Terra felt as if he knew this youth, though he could not figure out why. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Terra returned his attention to his charge.

"So, what's your name?"

The face below his went blank, as if he could not recall it. That too was unusual. New arrival always could answer right away.

"Sor….no, Rox…no," The youth's face was now confused, as if the name was alluding him. But suppose, Terra thought, they were his other names, belonging the body and heart. Who know the four stages of life could be connected so?! From the lack of full remembrance, the Retriever could tell if such links existed, they were very, very tiny. And slipping away from the looks of it. But there was still that slight thrum that drew Terra to the boy, though he had no idea what it was.

"Ventus," the boy said at last, as if it were foreign, as if this was his first time using it. Was each part given a new name? Then to which one did "Riku" belong to.

Terra started the boy, who looked puzzled at what had just come out of his mouth.

"Well then Ventus, welcome to Home. I'm Terra," he offered his hand and pulled the boy up.

Ventus took it, and the thrum between them accented for a moment until the boy let go and began to look around.

"Home? I don't see any place that looks promising,"

Terra chuckled and handed the boy the water.

"Drink, I bet you're thirsty. And we aren't there yet. I'm here to take you there."

Ven raised an eyebrow while he took a sip. "How do you know the way there?"

Terra tapped his helmet. The "huh" look on the arrival's face caused a smile to crack. "Inside my helmet is a map back."

"You're wearing a helmet? I thought that was your face!"

"Hey!" Terra took of the offending apparel. "Don't you think it odd to see a person with metal for a face and no recognizable eyes?"

The boy shook his head no.

"Really?"

A shrug for a reply. Terra knew now, if he was not sure before, that this boy was special. To think such creatures were not out of the ordinary, to have remnants of other names in his head; when whole Ventus must have had a strong soul to remember and retain ties to his other lives.

For some strange reason, Terra had a strong desire to show Ventus to Aqua. They were just co-workers, not true friends. Why such the desire to see her? Terra looked to the boy in front of him.

"Come on," he said, replacing his helmet and leading them to headquarters.

They walked in silence for awhile, allowing the older man to think. Aqua and himself had blue eyes, a rarity in this world. And yet here was another chaser with blue eyes, one to whom he felt a strong sense of familiarly. Had they all know each other as wholes? The thought was outrageous, but as Terra looked to the boy beside him he could not help but think he might be right.

* * *

Thanks to those of you who read the first chapter, despite not giving me reviews. Not to sound greedy or anything, it's just nice to know what others think of your work. So this is the end, no more. My first short one. I hope I didn't bore you guys, one issue with short ones is the attempt to keep the action going quickly so readers don't start snoring. Not that there was a lot of action here…And whoa did the story take off. I was planning on stopping when Ventus woke up, but Terra had more to say. Hopefully, you have something to say to me too. . 

Dang this is a long note, and thanks for reading!


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